And splitting eattan



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

S. SAWYER. MACHINE FOR SGRAPING AND SPLITTING RATTAN. No. 284,241.

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r UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

jsYLvEsfrEE sAwr En, OE woonsrook, ONTARIO, CANADA, AssIeNon To i .IAMEs HAY, sn., ANDJAIvIEs HAY, JE., BOTH OE sAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR SCRAPING ,AND SPIN-TmcRATTAN.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 284,241, dated September 4, 1883. Application ilcd March 5,1883.` (No model.)

OaZZ who/n it. Ina/y con/cern,.-

of Voodstock, in the county of 4Oxford and Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Scraping and Splitting Rattan; and I hereby declare the following specication to be such a full, clear, and exact description of the invention as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In the `drawings accompanying this description, Figure lis atop or plan view `of a machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is an elevation or side View of the same partially sectioned, as indicated by the plane a u of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an end viewrfromthe left.` Fig. 4 is a detail view ofthe guide-roll which A bears the revolving cutter-blades. Fig.15 is a face view of the knife-head and its supporting,- disk. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the `same on the plane v of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a section through the knife -head, as indicated by the plane fw of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is aview of the back side ofthe knife-supporting disk'. Fig. 9 is a detail sectional View of the knife-head, taken along a line, x, of Fig. 5. Fig. 10 isa detail /view of the knife-operating hand-slide. Fig. l1 is a cross-section ofthe stripping or splitting knife support on the plane y y of Fig. l;

u `and Fig. 12 is a cross-section of the pithcatcher on the plane z z of Fig. l, and Figs. 13 `and 14 are detail side ,and edge views of one of the cam-rings. y

In these views, A represents the bed-plate which supports the working parts of the ma chine, and B B are the standards which support this bed-plate. C C are the grooved guiderolls which conduct the rattan sticks through the machine, the shafts of which are connected together and to proper driving mechanism by means of gearing orotherwise, and are acted upon by springs C', which hold the rollers in contact `with and permit them to adapt themselves `to the various sizes ofrattan. D I) are the radially-moving scraping-knives, which are actuated by spiral springs D", and are supportedby and upon a ring-disk, E. FF are stationary guides, which assist in directing the rattan; and G is the tubular splitting or stripping knife which removes the outer portion of the rattan from the center or pith and splits it into strips, G being the trough-like guide, which surrounds the cutting end of this knife and collects the strips. 'I hese devices are Old and well known, and constitute the principal parts of machines of this class and of the kind of machine to which my improvements are especially applicable.

The iirst of these improvements is a cutting device for squaring the ends of the cane before it is submitted to the scraping and stripping mechanisms. .It is best shown in Figs. l, 3, and 4, and consists of a cutter-plate, B', which is fastened tothe upright IB2 on the end of the bed-plate A, and has'an angular opening or cutting-edge, B3, in combination with slanting or beveled cutter-blades G2, which are secured to the face o f one of the first pair of feed-rolls C, andare arranged in close proximity to the `iinedcutter-plate in order that as the rolls C revolve their edges and the edge of the cutterplate may have a shearing action. The edge of the cutter-plate is angular in shape to prevent the cane from slipping as the revolving blades rise against it. lThis arrangement also makes a three-sided cut, which lessens the chances of splitting, and results in a squarer end than two `chopping-edges can produce; but thisedge of the cutter-plate might be of a curved shape and the action would be nearly the same. In front of this cutter-plate is an open guide, Bt, which conforms in its essential shape to theangle or curve of the cutting-edge B3, and aids materially in feeding the cane to the cutters, for the operator has but to place the end of the canev in the angle or curve of this `shelf and push it forward to bringit in the right position to meet the cutter-blades, so that by the assistance of this guide the squaring operation becomes practically automatic and permits the operator to pay exclusive attention to the vworking of the other parts of the machine.

My second improvement` relates to a new form of guide used to accurately present the cane to the scraping-knives. It is seen in the iirst two figures of drawings, and is composed oftwo duplicate parts or halves, H H, which are separately pivoted tothe bed-plate, and

each has a lug, H', upon which lugs a spring,

IOO

together. Each half is tted with a steel facing, l posts, I2,

H3, which is grooved the better to grasp and direct the cane, and is made removable for the purpose of substituting other facings as one set becomes worn. After the cane has been squared it is inserted in the funnel-shaped receiver or guide on the front end of the machine, and is seized by the guide-rolls G and advanced to the scraping-knives, passing through the guide II just before it reaches the knives. The yielding parts of this guide are separated by the end of the cane, and are equally deiiected if its course be straight; but when the cane is bent, or for any other reason deviates from a straight course as it is driven forward, it will impinge upon and deflect one of the parts of the guide more than the other, which causes the more-deflected part to receive the entire pressure of the spring H2, thereby relieving the other part.

It will be seen that by this arrangement ofthe parts ofthe guide the spring presses equally upon both sides of the cane While itcontinues in its intended path; and also .that as the cane diverges from its proper course the whole resistance of the spring is exerted upon one side of it to return it to its correct position, and all pressure upon its opposite side is removed until such return is accomplished.

More than two parts or members may be used in one guide, and such members may be operated in pairs by different springs,or all may be operated by the same spring.

The third feature of invention and improvement relates to devices operated by hand and devices operated automatically for lifting the knives which do the scraping and holding them apa-rt, in order that the cane maycome into place to receive their action; and it also relates to devices for tripping or releasing the knives when the cane is in position to be acted upon. These scraping-knives, preferably, but not necessarily, eight in number, are shown at D, Figs. l, 2, 5, and 6, being secured in curved recesses in the knife-blocks D2, which blocks move radially in beveled grooves D3 in the knife-head D, and are provided upon their spindle ends with spiral springs D', which are arranged to press the knife-blocks inwardly toward the cane. The knife-head D3 is fastened in the central opening of the ring-disk E, rising from the bed-plate, and the outer ends of the vknife-blocks pass through guide-posts. E upon the periphery of .this disk. Between the knife-head and its supporting-disk isa recess, Figs.' 2 and 6, which contains two camrings, I I, one superposed upon the other, Figs. 1, 2, 6, and 7, and both arranged to rotate upon friction-rolls E2, also` supported by said disk E. The bevels or cams I of one of these cam-rings are inclined in a contrary direction to the bevels of the other ring, Figs. 7 and 13, and these cams bear against the friction-rolls D5 on the under side of the knifeblocks, each cam-ring being constructed `to carry one-half the numberof knives used and to rotate oppositely to the other ring. Projecting forward from these cam-rings are two upon the ends of which bear the longerarms of the elbow-levers J J. These levers are pivoted to blocks J J rising from the bedplate, and their shorter arms bear upon the inner side of the boxes of the shafts which carry thev second pair of roll-guides C. The

'object of these levers is to effect the opening of the scraping-knives D by the closing of the guide-rolls after the passing of the cane. Thus, when a cane leaves these rolls they are closed together by the springs bearing against their shafts, which closing swings 'the short arms of the levers J toward each other and separates their longer arms, thereby causing the cam-rings I to have a partial rotation, and by forcing their cams under the rolls on the knife-blocks draw the knives back from the path of the cane.' As the cam-rings rotate the arms I3 descend, and stops I4 on the ends thereof press upon the beveled catches K on the ends of the sliding bars K, which causes such -bars to be drawn out until their catches have been passed by said stops, when the bars are drawn back by the springs K2, thus blocking `the cam-ring arms, Fig. 7, and holding the `knives open.

These bars are upon the rear face of the disk E, and move in ways K3, vas

`seen in Fig. 8. rIheir inner ends close together inthe path of the cane, and are provided with beveled grooves Kt. The scraping-knives being locked in the open position, it will be plain that a new section of cane will separate the roller-shafts, which act upon the levers J, and free their shorter arms, thereby removing the opposition of these levers to the return rotation of the cam-rings and the closing of the knives 5 also, that as the end of the cane strikes between the beveled ends of the bars K these IOO bars will be moved aside and the cam-arms l3 unlocked, thereby releasing the scrapingknives, which, under the iniuence of their spiral springs, are closed upon the cane, the

foam-rings rotating to their former position at the same time. It being necessary to raise these scraping-knives, or ease them up while vthey are in contact with the cane, to prevent too deep incisions, or incase of the cane breaking, a second lifting device, which can be operated by the workman, is essential. I show such a device in Figs. l, 7, and l0, and it con- .sists of wedges L, secured to a forked slide, L, `which moves in ways L2, and reaches back to ithe position of the operator at the front of the machine. These wedges are caused to depress` the cam-ring arms I3 through the medium of 1 rods L?, the upper ends lof which are pivoted to said arms, while their lower ends pass through guides L4, fast to the bed-plate, and

arey provided with friction-rollers L5, which run Ion the inclines of the wedges L, so that pushing the wedges forward draws down the arms lof and rotates the cam-rings I, thereby raising f the scraping-knives, as already described, but

in this case slowly or quickly, a slight distance or entirely away from the cane, as the` f operator7 s judgment dictates.

The fourth feature of invention refers to the IIO . y -pendently upon the joint, and no one knife is action of the knives.

relative positions ofthe edges of the scrapingknives; and it consists, essentially, in arranging the knives so that their cutting-edges shall the other many ways that will occur to a person versed in the construction of these machines. Heretofore it has been thought desirable to have the scraping-knives take hold upon the cane all yin the same vertical `plane perpendicular to the cane, and thiswas with the intention of securing the substantially simultaneous action of all the knives upon the cane commencing with its extreme forward end; but while this makes it possible for the knives to pass over the entire surface of the cane, the completeness of the scraping does not compensate for the damage to the stock and the trouble incident to the-concentrated Thus, asthe cane must be driven against the knives with sufficient force to overcome their combined resistance, and when the `knives are grouped-this resist-` ance being all at one point along the length of the cane, the strain which a brittle or weak stick must meet is often in excess of its strength,I and the result is the parting of the stick at one of its joints; or, if the stick be soft, it doubles up in front of the knives, cloggingand stopping the machine, andthis objection isaugmented by the increase of the number of knives in a group, as well as by the proximity of the groups, if therebe more than one. Furthermore, the knives of a group act as abutments to hold the cane up against the edges of one another, and thereby they prevent any yielding of the cane under the action of a` single knife, so that in the case of joints irregular in their dispositionaround the cane the shav- 4ing on one side of the cane may be too deep j and on the other side too shallow. I dispose my knives around the cane in advance/of one another in such manner' that `they act indeopposed by another in the sameweitical plane, so that as the cane advances the joints are removed by successive cuttings, instead of at a single operation, and the strain which the cane must meet is distributed alongits length; and by this arrangement a certain amount of yielding of the cane under the action of any knife is possible, which greatly lessens the liability of the cane being gouged or unevenly scraped,

and for that reason permits a higher velocity of the cane and increases proportionately the production ofthe machine, besides, by thus iinproving the operation of the machine, making it more automatic and reducing the necessity of attendance.

The fifth feature of invention has for its object the adjusting of the stripping-knife,which knife is substituted by others when different sizes of cane are being worked, and is occasionally removed for sharpening, and these changes tend to get it out of alignment with Y position when adj usted.

the transmitting devices and make its readjustment necessary. Thislknife is best shown at G in Figs. l, 2, and 1,1, and isof the well-known tubular form, having a circular cutting-edge for separating the center or pith from the outer portion ofthe cane and radial splittingsedges, which, divide such outer portion into strips. The pith passes through the central lopening of the knife, and the strips are collected by thc guide G and conveyed away from the ma-V chine. G2 is a block in which this knife is fastened. It rests upon a sliding wedge, G3, which slides in ways in a block, G4, fast to the bed-plate A, but made removable therefrom.

To one end of this lower blockis fastened a forked or slotted guide,` G5, which engages with the grooved shank of a screw, Gthe threaded end of which enters the knife-block G2, so that turning this screw will move the knife-block laterally, and the extended slot in the guideallows it to move vertically. G7 is a similarguide and screw for moving the' wedge G3 to raise and `lower the knife-block, and GB is a set-screw for securing the parts in In front of this knifesupport are the usual guide-rolls, which seize the cane as it comes from the scraping-knives and force `it against the splitting-knife, the cane being properly presented to the latter by means of a guide, M, similar to the guide H; i My sixth feature of invention is embodied in a new form of pith-catcher, which receives each of the piths as they are discharged from the machine and places them uniformly in piles, or in someV appropriate receptacle located on one side of the general course ofthe piths to receive them.

Referring to Figs. l, 2, and l2, N is an upright frame attached to the delivery end of the machine, and has hinged to it a swinging leaf, O, which is grooved in its lower edge at O, and is tted with levers O2, to the ends of `which are attached springs P, which, being fastened to the frame N, tend to throwthe leaf forward, as seen in Fig. 12. ote`d to a block," Q', rising from the bed-plate A, one end of which lever bears upon the outside of the shaft-box of one of the last pair of guide-rolls C and the other end bears against the leaf O. The normal position of these parts is as shown in full lines; but as a pith comes from the stripping-knife and separates the last `pair of guide-rolls thelonger arm of the lever Q is depressed and swings the leaf D to the position indicated by broken lines, so that as.

the pith issues from the last guidefrolls it runs along the shelf N and in the groove O of the swinging leaf, and the closing of these last Q is a lever pivi j guide-rolls after the passage of the pith re- 1 leases the short arm of the lever Q and allows the springs I to swing the leaf O and thecontained pith away from the shelf N', and thereby remove the'pith out of the way of the one next following.

Although I have shown and described the yielding guiding or transmitting rolls as actA uating the scraping-knives and pith-catcher,

I do not confine myself to them exclusively, as it is manifest that other devices not strictly guides or transmitters might be employed, which, by moving into and out of the path of the cane or pith, would accomplish the same results.

Vhat I claim as new is- 1. The combination, in a rattan-scraping machine, of a beveled revolving cutter-blade anda stationary cutter-plate having an angular cutting-edge, the said blade and plate being arranged to have a shearing action.`

2. In combination, in a rattan-scraping'machine, a revolving cutter-blade and stationary cutter-plate, substantially as described, and an open angular guide in front of said plate.

3. In a rattan scraping or splitting machine,

the combination of a guide composed of two parts constructed to conjointly grasp and direct the cane, and a spring arranged to bear upon both of said parts when they are at rest and equally deflected, and entirely upon either part as it becomes the more deflected, thereby relieving the other.

4. In a rattan-scraping machine, the combination of yielding feedingrolls, scrapingknives adapted to be withdrawn from the position in which they act upon the cane, and suitable mechanism for automatically retracting said knives, which is operated bythe closing of said rolls after the passage ofthe cane.

5. In a rattan-scraping machine, the combination of two or more scraping-knives arranged to have radial movement, oppositely rotating cam-rings for retracting said knives, andyielding feed-rolls for transmitting the cane through the machine, which are connected with and arranged to operate the cam-rings by thepassage of the cane.

6. In a rattan-scraping machine, the combination of scraping-knives having radial movement to and from-the position of the cane, a cam-ring for withdrawing said knives, and a sliding wedge arranged to rotate said cam-ring.

7. In a rattan-scraping machine, two or more scraping-knives arranged to completely encircle the cane, the cutting-edges of which each act independently upon the cane at different points along its length, no two edges being. in the same vertical plane.

8. In a rattan-scraping machine, the combination of scraping-knives arranged to move to and from the cane, two oppositely-rotating cam-rings for raising said knives, and sliding barsthe ends of which meet in the path of the cane, said bars being arranged to block the cam-rings for the purpose of retaining the knives in the raised position and to be separated by the end of the cane as it advances for the purpose of releasing the knives from/such position. 9. In a rattan-stripping machine, a strip ping-knife provided with an adjustable support, which is moved laterally by means of' a screw moving in a fixed guide, and vertically by means of a wedge moving between such support and a stationary part of the machine.

l0. In arattan-splitting machine, the combination of transmitting rollers or guides, a swinging pith-catcher, and suitablel mechan ism operated by the pith as it advances for swinging the pith-catcher into position to receive the pith as it is discharged from the machine. n

ll. In a rattan-stripping machine, the combination of yielding transmitting rollers or guides, a swinging pith-catcher, springs arranged to move such catcher away from the position in which it receives the pith, and suitableY mechanism for holding said catcher inthe path of the pith, which is arranged to release the catcher upon the closing of' the guides as the pith leaves them.

SYLVESTER SAVVYER.

Witnesses:

JOHN A.,BA1N, WM. T. J OPP,

J. W. NEsBITT. 

